Cai Qingwen

A disciple of Chen Clan Martial Hall?

When had Qinglin County produced someone like this?

Several Golden Tiger Gang members were startled at the same time, though they still had to put on a brave front.

"What business do you have coming to my doorstep?" Cheng Yang's tone was indifferent as his gaze swept across them.

"Young sir," the leader said, piling on a polite smile, "we wanted to ask whether you saw anyone suspicious on Old Sophora Street yesterday?"

This man was Li Qiang, a trusted confidant of the Golden Tiger Gang's leader.

"No." Cheng Yang answered crisply. "If there's nothing else, you can leave."

He was utterly rude, not giving them the slightest shred of face.

All their expressions stiffened. One hot-tempered man could not hold back and blurted out, "Kid, watch how you talk! Don't think you're anything special just because you joined Chen Clan Martial Hall—"

Before he could finish.

Cheng Yang's eyes slanted. In a flash of lightning and spark of flint, he sprang forward, closed in on the man, and drove a fist square into his face.

The man did not even have time to react before he toppled backward onto the ground, clutching his nose and curling up like a shrimp.

It had all happened in the blink of an eye.

The remaining Golden Tiger Gang members had never expected this kid to throw hands at the slightest disagreement.

"Without the Golden Tiger Gang, what the hell are you?" Cheng Yang threw those exact words right back at him.

A Skin Tempering martial artist!

From that sudden burst of speed, Li Qiang instantly judged Cheng Yang's strength.

The smile on his face froze for an instant, then he quickly adjusted it, offering an apologetic smile. "Young sir, my subordinate spoke out of turn just now. I apologize to you on his behalf."

Cheng Yang gave him a long, deep look.

He had originally been prepared to knock every last one of them down, but one did not strike a smiling face. Since the other party had taken the initiative to back down, he could not be bothered to keep tangling with them.

Ignoring them, Cheng Yang turned, pushed open the courtyard gate, and walked inside, then slammed it shut behind him with a bang.

"...That brat." Li Qiang ground his teeth, yet he did not dare to show his anger.

They helped the man whom Cheng Yang had knocked senseless with one punch to his feet. One of them asked unwillingly in a low voice, "Brother Qiang, are we just letting this go?"

Li Qiang shot him a cold glance. "Nonsense! Can people like us afford to provoke a Skin Tempering martial artist backed by a major power?"

"Besides, this isn't the time for the Golden Tiger Gang to make more enemies."

The man gritted his teeth, but in the end, he could only swallow his bitterness whole.

Having bullied others all his life, he had now tasted what it was like to be bullied. The heavenly way truly turned in cycles.

Lin Xia had already heard the commotion outside the courtyard gate. The moment Cheng Yang entered, she came out of the house to greet him.

"Mother, I'm back."

"What happened outside just now? Did the Golden Tiger Gang come again?" Unconcealed panic filled Lin Xia's face.

"They came." Cheng Yang spoke calmly. "I drove them away."

His attack on the Golden Tiger Gang had not been a momentary impulse. Now that he had Chen Clan Martial Hall behind him, coupled with the strength of a Skin Tempering martial artist, he was no longer a soft persimmon for others to squeeze as they pleased.

He had no intention of playing the pig to eat the tiger only to end up being treated like a pig and bullied for real. Rather than that, he might as well make his stance clear from the start.

"You drove them away?" Lin Xia's mouth fell slightly open. Her gaze lowered, and only then did she notice the training uniform embroidered with the character "Chen" on Cheng Yang's body.

"Xiaoyang, those clothes of yours...?"

"They're from Chen Clan Martial Hall," Cheng Yang replied.

"Chen Clan Martial Hall... one of Qinglin County's five great martial halls?" Lin Xia's eyes widened at once.

"Mm." Cheng Yang nodded. "With Chen Clan Martial Hall as our pillar, we won't need to fear the Golden Tiger Gang anymore."

"Good! Good! Good!" Lin Xia said "good" three times in a row. Her eyes reddened, and every wrinkle on her face broke into a smile. "My Yang'er is truly becoming more and more promising!"

But as she smiled, her voice lowered again. "It's just, Xiaoyang... the various fees at a martial hall must be frighteningly expensive, right?"

She recalled being dismissed from the laundry. Earlier, because Cheng Yang had been unconscious, she had taken a month off from the laundry to care for her son. Who would have thought Cheng Yang would recover so quickly? When she returned hoping to resume work, they told her they no longer needed her.

"It's fine, Mother. You don't need to worry about the fees. I can handle them myself."

Cheng Yang's tone was relaxed.

After paying the tuition fee, he still had a dozen or so taels of silver left. But for a martial artist, a money-devouring beast, that amount was nowhere near enough. He still had to find a way to get more silver.

Lin Xia did not ask further, but she understood in her heart that ever since her son had awakened after failing to break through and falling unconscious, he had become a completely different person.

It was as though he were veiled by an impenetrable layer of gauze, making him harder and harder for her to understand. Yet she was not worried, because the change was for the better.

Her son had grown up. He had become responsible.

Though she was somewhat unaccustomed to it, her heart brimmed with pride and relief.

"Mother, you haven't eaten lunch yet, have you?" Cheng Yang took an oil-paper packet from his robe. "I bought you a meat sandwich. It's still hot, so eat it while it's warm."

Lin Xia accepted the meat sandwich, still carrying a trace of warmth. Her eyes grew hot, and her nose stung.

That afternoon, Cheng Yang returned to Chen Clan Martial Hall.

Spring Renewal Hall was Chen Clan Martial Hall's exclusive apothecary. Tending the shop was a valiant-looking woman with a high ponytail. Her expression was cool and indifferent as she sat behind the counter, her head lowered over a thin booklet.

"Senior Sister, now that I'm in the Skin Tempering Realm, what should I eat to improve my vitality and blood the most?" Cheng Yang asked with cupped hands.

"Treasure fish from the rivers, or meat from exotic beasts on land." The ponytailed woman did not even raise her head, and her tone was flat.

"Does the shop have any treasure fish for sale?"

"No. Chen Clan Martial Hall only sells exotic beast meat, not treasure fish."

Cheng Yang's mouth twitched slightly. "Then trouble Senior Sister to give me a pound of exotic beast meat."

"Ten taels of silver."

A little pricey... Cheng Yang muttered inwardly.

He only had around fifteen taels of silver on him. Buying a single pound of meat would take away two-thirds of it.

Still, expensive as it was, he had to spend it. These expenses were unavoidable in martial cultivation.

Besides, if he had not joined Chen Clan Martial Hall, he might not even have been able to buy it outside. And even if he could, it would only be more expensive.

He took out ten taels of loose silver from his purse and handed them over.

The ponytailed woman accepted the silver and glanced at him. "New here? You haven't come to Spring Renewal Hall before, have you?"

"How did Senior Sister know?"

"When buying things at Chen Clan Martial Hall, you must first show your identity token."

"I see." Cheng Yang took out his identity token and handed it over. Two characters were engraved upon it—Cheng Yang.

"You're Cheng Yang?" A change suddenly came over the ponytailed woman's frosty face.

"Senior Sister knows me?" Cheng Yang was taken aback. He did not seem to have met her before.

"Master specifically came by just now and said that if you came, you could buy up to one hundred taels' worth of resources on credit, without immediate payment."

Cheng Yang's eyes immediately lit up. "Thank you, Master!"

The ponytailed Senior Sister looked at him a few more times, seemingly curious what was so extraordinary about this newly arrived Junior Brother that Master would treat him with such special care.

Maybe he was pleasant to look at? Mm... perhaps his talent really was that good.

"Then please give me eleven pounds of exotic beast meat, Senior Sister."

Eleven pounds of Breeze Wolf meat were all presented in the form of jerky. Cheng Yang wrapped them in a bundle and carried it in his hand, where it weighed heavily.

"May I ask Senior Sister's honored surname?" Cheng Yang felt that he would surely become a regular here in the future, so it would be best to get acquainted first.

"Guo Shulan." The ponytailed woman thrust out her utterly unremarkable chest.

Guo? Cheng Yang instantly thought of the household his maternal cousin had married into. His expression turned faintly strange for an instant before swiftly returning to normal. "Senior Sister Guo, I'll be going now."

Guo Shulan gave a bland "Mm."

After leaving Spring Renewal Hall, Cheng Yang was about to leave the martial hall and go to his usual spot to train. But upon reaching the front courtyard, a refined man and a pockmarked man blocked his path.

The refined man smiled warmly and cupped his hands. "Junior Brother, I am Cai Qingwen. Might we get acquainted?"

"Cheng Yang." Cheng Yang casually gave his name. "What is it?"

"There will be a Lantern Gathering on Cloudfollow Street shortly. Would Junior Brother be willing to go have a look with me?"

A Lantern Gathering? Cheng Yang rolled his eyes inwardly.

Who was this guy? He wanted to drag him off to look at lanterns the moment they met? Cheng Yang was busy training. Where would he find the leisure to wander around?

He pretended to hesitate for a moment before politely declining. "No, Senior Brother Cai. I have something to do. Perhaps another time."

After saying that, he did not wait for the other man's reaction and simply walked around the two of them.

The smile on Cai Qingwen's face instantly froze. Beneath that gentle, jade-like countenance, a faint trace of savagery showed through.

"So many young ladies from great families are fighting to accompany Brother Wen, yet this brat actually dared refuse. He truly doesn't know what's good for him." The pockmarked man immediately sidled up to fan the flames.

"Yes..." Cai Qingwen murmured softly. A cold gleam flashed through his eyes. "From childhood until now, no one has ever dared refuse me like this."

"Oh—look at that. Our young master Cai is beside himself with rage. How interesting!" A mocking voice came from nearby.

Cai Qingwen whipped his head around and glared at the newcomer through gritted teeth. "Chu Yunjiang..."